Connector for ground-terminals.



A. R. RHEINBERGER. CONNECTOR FOR GROUND TERMINALS. APPLiCATlON FILED1AN.10,1910.

1,156,314. Patented 001. 12, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFEQE.

ALFONSO R. RHEINBERGER, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

CONNECTOR FUR GROUND-TERMINALS.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFONSO R. RHEIN- BERGER,a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county ofRamsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Connectors for Ground-Terminals, of which the followingis a specification.

An object of this invention is to provide a terminal rod or itsequivalent, having a passage adapted to admit a conductor, with awedgeor key in said passage serving to hold the conductor in place andin intimate electrical connection with said rod, said wedge or key beingso constructed as to prevent its removal from the rod before a conductor is connected. By making the wedge or key inseparable from the rodit is prevented from being lost and is always ready for use which is anadvantage.

The invention consists further in forming the wedging element as a guideto direct the conductor into place when the latter is inserted in theterminal rod.

The invention consists finally in the features, combinations and detailsof construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1is a perspective view of a detail showing a portion of a ground rod suchas is employed in telephone and telegraph service to which myimprovement is applied; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the constructionset forth in Fig. 1 looking at one end of the connector and Fig. 3 is aside elevation a portion of the ground rod being broken away to exposethe connector therein.

In the drawings A represents a detail of a terminal rod such as commonlyemployed for contact with the ground to produce an electrical connectiontherewith said rod being adapted to be embedded or driven into the earthas desired. To this rod my improved terminal connector B is appliedwhich consists, as illustrated in Fig. 1, of a pair of half round wedges2 and 3 tapering in the same general direction and cooperating to forman elongated cone-shaped device passing loosely through a transversetapering passageway 4 in said rod. The passageway is round although. itmay be of any other suitable shape and the wedges 2 and 3 are adapted tobe driven into the passageway with the line wire 5 pinched between itsmembers grooves 6 being formed longi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

7 Application filed January 10, 1910. Serial No. 537,199.

tudinally in said members to receive said line wire. The walls of thegrooves 6 are of any suitable shape desired. The inner ends of themembers 2 and 8 are bent or flared apart to produce stops 7 which serveto prevent the removal of the terminal connector members from the groundrod and also by its inner faces 8 to act as a guide for introducing theend of the line wire 5 between the members 2 and 3. The wedge is of suchlength as to permit it to be freely moved in one direction within thepassage way .4 so that the sections, of which the wedge is formed may bespread apart sufficiently to receive the line wire between them. Afterthe wire 5 has been inserted between the members 2 and 3 the outer endsof said members are hammered or pressed into the opening 4: and thuswedged in said opening tightly with the line wire 5 clamped securelybetween them to produce an efficient and effective electrical contactbetween said wire and ground terminal. Should it be desired at any timeto remove the wedge sections from within the passageway through the rod,this may be done by pinch ing the flared ends together without in anyway injuring or rendering the members unfit for further use.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described the principlesof operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I nowconsider to represent the best embodiment thereof but I desire to haveit understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and thatthe invention can be carried out by other means and applied to usesotherthan those above set forth within the scope of the following claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is The combination with a ground rod having a passagetherethrough, of a line wire to be secured thereto, an elongatedcone-shaped terminal connector extending through said passage andconsisting of a pair of cooperating sections adapted to receive andclamp said line wire between them, said connector being provided with anenlarged driving head at one end and gradually tapering therefrom to apoint adjacent its other end, each of the sections forming the connectorbeing bent from said point to form elongated oppositely flaring portionsfor preventing the accidental re moval of saidconnector from said rodand forming guides to facilitate the insertion of said line wire intosaid connector, the length of said connector between its head and flar-5 ing portions being greater than the length of said passage withinwhich said connector may be moved to release said line wire.

two subscribing witnesses.

ALFONSO R. RHEINBERGER. Witnesses:

' H. L. FISCHER,

F. G. VBRADBURY.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of Cepies of this patent may be obtained for live centseach. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C."

